Exploring Leper Island in Crete

If you
choose Crete as your holiday destination, you may be dreaming of sandy beaches
or warm Mediterranean waters.

And of course, you will find this in abundance on
your visit, but you will also find plenty of other places of interest, and when
it comes to places of interest, there is nothing like a leper colony is there?!

Yep, Crete
has, or that should be had, its very own leper colony on the small island of
Spinalonga and it is one of the top Crete attractions for tourists. So what can
you expect to see on a visit here?

Getting There

If you
decide that a visit to Spinalonga would be of interest, you will need to get to
the northern village of Elounda, or failing that Agios Nikolaos or Plaka
whereby it is possible to catch a boat over to the island.

If you combine a
visit with a boat tour available from a local tour operator, you will get a
number of additional extras which will heighten your enjoyment, often in the
form of a free BBQ or alike.

If you visit during the off season, there may be
no tour boats available, however if you ask around the harbour area you will
find someone willing to take you as many people will have their own boats and
will be happy to take you across.

What is there to see?

(Image from www.panoramio.com)

As mentioned, the island was, between the years 1903 and
1957, used as leper colony, whereby all of Crete’s and indeed Greece’s lepers
were quarantined and was one of the last leper colonies in Europe.

Far from
being a place where lepers were left to fend by themselves, there were by and
large well cared for upon their arrival. You’ll be pleased to know that these
days the island has more to offer than just grizzly details, the buildings are
fantastic examples of local architecture.

There are no accommodation options on the island so it is
only possible to take trips to the island for a few hours at a time, making it
the ideal place for a day trip when on Crete holidays.